Analysis of factors related to needle-stick and sharps injuries at a dental specialty university hospital and possible prevention methods

10Citations
Citations of this article
49Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Needle-stick and sharps injuries (NSIs) can happen even when dental health care workers (DHCWs) act in compliance with standard precautions to prevent transmitting blood-borne infections. The objective of this study was to investigate causes of NSIs that had occurred at a dental specialty university hospital during the past 12 academic years. A total of 215 NSIs were reported during the investigation period, and NSIs ascribed to female DHCWs (n = 148; 68.8%) were significantly (P < 0.05) more common than those ascribed to male DHCWs (n = 67; 31.2%). One hundred twenty-six NSIs (58.6%) were caused by DHCWs with little experience (P < 0.05), and 37 of those (17.2% of the total) were ascribed to undergraduate students during clinical training (P < 0.05). The NSIs occurred both during treatment (n = 119; 55.3%) and during cleaning up used devices (n = 89; 41.4%). The NSIs at the dental hospital occurred with a probability of 0.004% of total therapeutic opportunities. Prevention of NSIs should be the responsibility of dental students and DHCWs, and should be a part of education about infection control to prevent the nosocomial transmission of blood-borne pathogens.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Matsumoto, H., Sunakawa, M., Suda, H., & Izumi, Y. (2019). Analysis of factors related to needle-stick and sharps injuries at a dental specialty university hospital and possible prevention methods. Journal of Oral Science, 61(1), 164–170. https://doi.org/10.2334/josnusd.18-0127

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free